Woman Dies After Being Denied an Abortion

Abortion was a hot-button issue in this past presidential election and the subject has been passionately debated for decades now. This week, the real life consequences of not having the right to choose came into the spotlight when a woman died after she was denied a legal abortion in Ireland.

Savtia Halappanavar, a 31-year-old dentist, was hospitalized 17 weeks into her pregnancy due to severe complications. When she and her husband were told that the fetus would not survive, Halappanavar asked to terminate the pregnancy. While abortion is legal in Ireland when the life of a woman is at risk, her request was refused because the fetus' heartbeat was still detectable. Two days later, her fetus' heart stopped beating and Halappanavar died of septicemia (a bacterial blood infection) soon after.

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The Irish Times reports that Halappanavar was told "this is a Catholic country" in response to her request to terminate her pregnancy, despite her insistence she was neither Catholic nor Irish.

Even though there is currently an investigation underway to find out why Halappanavar's abortion request did not qualify under the law, the fact that Halappanavar died remains.

Sure, this took place in Ireland—not the U.S.—but with some American politicians pushing to remove the right to choose, it's a scary sign of what life could be like for women in the U.S. if they get their way.